University of Virginia Library

Sce. 1.

Enter Iustina, Clitophon following her.
Iustina.
Good my Lord leaue mee.

Clitophon.
Can you so cruelly
Cast of a faithfull servant?

Iustina.
No princely sir,
'tis I would bee cast of; for I am false.
My beauty has bewitch'd your noble heart,
weakend your valour, and most treacherously
betray'd Chaldæa's glorie Babilon
to Egypts rage.

Clitophon.
O fairest of thy sex,
blame not thy beauty, but thy cruelty,
say but thou lou'st mee, and that very sound
(like the rare harpe that rays'd the Theban walls)
shall reerect, and fortifie my courage;
rescue the cittie, and drive backe the foe.

Iustina.
Alas, say I should loue, and let you know it;
you must not weare that iewell though you ow it.

Clitophon.
If you can loue, what lets mee in my choyce?

Iustina.
your fathers crosse will, and your subiects voyce.

Clitophon.
Though all resist, if thou consent I care not;

Iustina.
And except they consent, my lord, I dare not.
you see your Venus [will not] fauours not your loue,
turne to your Mars, hee courts you to the feild.

Clitophon.
where should he fight that cannot make you yeild?[,]
you hate our gods and mocke them; for thy sake
I will renounce the gods of Babilon,
proffesse thy faith, and become Christian.

Iustina.
[But then] your father will renounce, and hate you, then.

Clitophon.
Thy loue is better then a fathers blessing.

Enter a Lord of Babilon with his sword drawn.
Lord.
My gracious Lord, the Califfe calls for you.

Clitophon.
ffor what? to rob mee of my happinesse.

Lord.
O princely sir; the citty wants your presence.
The enimie's as strong in powr as pride,
And our deffensive army's like a body
vnspirited, while your-selfe, Soule of our courage,
are wanting to vs.

Clitophon.
If you would haue my aide
ply my deafe father in my loues behalfe;
for till he graunt [it, Ile be deaf as hee] this lady for my wife
I will not stirre, [though] but here will end my life.

Lord.
Your message will displease: but I shall doe it.

Enter [Armidan] Miranda.
Miranda.
Where is prince Clitophon?

Lord.
There ['s] is his statue. [it]
It has a mouing forme, but is in art
a thing im̄oveable.
Exit Lord.

Miranda.
O noble prince,
arme and to horse with speed, the foe prevayles;
The body of your Syrian armie totters:
The quivering pikes quake not so much with force
of charging, as the souldiers harts with feare [of]
of being ouer chargd with enimies.

Clitophon.
What should I doe mongst cowards?

Miranda.
O sweet prince, you'r the good Genius of Babilon
without you it is lost.

Clitophon.
Why I haue here
a fairer citty then poore Babilon
to guard from danger, [of death threatening eies,] [here an empire stands]
and should I leaue this to my fathers frowne
the beautious building would be soon thrown downe.

Shout within
Iustina.
I feare all's lost, harcke how th'Egyptians shout.

Clitophon.
Cheere mee within, Ile charge the foe without.

Enter The Califfe with Attendants and Souldiers.
Iustina.
O mee your father, sir the Califfe comes.
with killing eies he lookes mee through.

Clitophon.
Bee still:
My loue is stronger then [th] his wrathfull will.

Califfe.
O Clitophon, o my bewitched sonne;
art thou quite lost to honour? has that face
the pow'r to charme the tempest of thy spirit
into calme wantonnesse? dost thou not see
thy aged father toyling in the warre,
his crowne, and thy inheritance at stake,
thy frends distress'd, thy countrey forraged,
the Souldan charging vs eu'n to our [gates] walls?
and wilt thou in an idle dreame of loue
sleep out the hazard of thy royalties,
and forfet to dishonour'd infamie
the glorious crown of thy youths victorie?

Clitophon.
Yeild to my suite, and you shall see your sonne
againe like the renouned Clitophon.
Ile flie like dreadfull lightning in the face
of the bould Souldan, and with my strokes
at once amaze and conquer.
Doe it then:
But doe it quickly then. talke not of loue;
that idle sicknesse will consume thy strength,
and make thee farre vnable to performe
the braue attempt thou hast so bouldly promis'd.
Cast of that spell of witchcraft that hath loos'd
thy warlike nerues. Minion I say be gonne,
and [vp]on thy life come no more neare our sonne.

Clitophon.
Stay my Iustina.

Califfe.
If she stay, she dies.

Clitophon.
If she depart or die, in either kinde
wrong'd Clitophon will keep her company.
and till your highnesse ratifie my vow
to her; to heau'n another vow I make:
neuer shall saving steele couer these limbs,
nor this right hand draw a deffensive sword
for Babilon. but in a wofull fould
my colours shall be wrap'd, and nere display'd
in Syrian feilds; my countreys care[s] shall die.
But if your kind[ly ioynes] consent will ioyne our hands;
againe I [s] vow, Ile straight into the feild
and nere reenter Babilon againe,
nor ere enioy the harvest of my loue
(which I thus toyle to compasse) till this hand
from Egypts rage haue freed our Syrian land.

Califfe.
She is a hated Christian, that's the cause
she cannot by thy wife.

Clitophon.
her loue to mee
[may] in time may draw her to adore our gods.

Califfe.
(asside ... )
Time is too precious to be spent in talke:
I must sooth vp his passions, and at least ( ... aside)

consent in shew. well then My Clitophon
take thy Iustina, whom I now accept
to be my daughter, let her louing hand
(in token that she's now become thy bride)
gird thy good sword vnto thy warlike side.

Clitophō.
[Now wilt thou] Thancks royall sir for this vnmatched guift.

[Iustina.]
[O may this good sword girt by a louing hand]
[proue fortunate in fight: while my weake prayers]

Iustina.
Bee fortunate, braue prince, and with this sword,
defend thy countrey, and confound thy foes.
my prayers shall attend you.

Clitophon.
Thanckes my deare
he that is thus blest has no cause to feare.

Califfe.
Now wilt thou to the feild?

Clitophon.
with winged speed.
[now bends] my knee is bent with ioy; farewell great sir.
This Iewell of my life I now dare leaue
to your safe keeping. now you'l vse her kindly.

Califfe.
Doubt not my sonne, her vsage shall be fit
for her desert.

Clitophon.
I kisse your royall hand,
and thy rose lips Iustina; so farewell.
Come[s] Gallants now to feild, [and see][when I am there and try our fortunes]
[and see the Souldan][sure the strong breath of Egypt garlicke and onions]
how he bestirres him. shall the strong breath of Egypt
Garlicke and Onions stincke vs to retreat?
no our strong blows shall beat their foule breath backe
into their lungs and choake em, while they [die] flie
orecome with sweetnesse of our victorie.

Exeunt. Clitoph. Miranda, and Sould.
Califfe.
Such victorie shine on you, while I stay
to prevent ills that threat another way.

Iustina.
The Califfs brows shew[s] rugged still, his words
are [liker] doubtfull too: o my poore trembling hart
dreads some ensuing ill.

Califfe.
Now pretty peat,
base Christian, witch of princes; you expect
high honours as the wife of Clitophon.

Iustina.
Christian I am, but neither base nor witch.

Califfe.
That name of Christian [is thy doome of death.][doomes thee, hatefull bitch]
how durst thou fawne on our imperiall heir?

Iustina.
haue you forgot your promise to your heir
so lately made? is this your loue[,]? my safety?

Califfe.
Thou shalt be safe if [seas] waues will let thee sincke.

Iustina.
Is then a princes word so slight to trust!
But come faith breaking tyrant, doe thy worst.
If for my Christian faith, I needs must drowne,
send mee to sea with speed; I shall survive,
or els at heauens hauen soone arrive.

Califfe.
Are you so stout? Souldiers in Euphrates
cast me this minion, drowne her in the streame.
There let her beauty, and her christian learning
enchaunt the sea gods. they no more shall charme
the prince of Babilon. away with her.

Iustina.
Is there no advocate? no intercession?
are all about mee ministers of death?

Califfe.
The pow'r thou serv'st preserve thee, if it can.

Iustina.
Tyrant I thancke thee, thou dost kindely pray
And I will pray for thy renowned sonne:
heau'n make a christian of kinde Clitophon.

Califfe.
Shall she torment mee thus? dragge her away.
Drag her in.
Now trie the pow'r thou serv'st if it can calme
Euphrates rugged waues. so, now I trust
with her I drowne the passions of my sonne,
and free him from Christian contagion.
when reason and a fathers awfull charge
prevaile not, we with policie assay
to turne the wanton tide another way.
Now to the feild, to see what deeds are done
By Armidan and our vndaunted sonne.

Exeunt.